Down With Yeenhogu
Session 1 Our heroes woke up nice and early, expecting the judge to show up to administer her sanction for their attack on the temple. Ziegfried, cleric of Justice, paced. Jing Dao, learning a new card game, was as still as an untouched pool. Dalton advised Wreck't to pay close attention and keep his mouth shut -- they didn't rightly know what would offend her sensibilities. At that moment, approximately 9 am, a coach was heard coming to a stop at the Pinnacle Inn. Two armed paladins of Judgment enter and immediately conducted themselves like a trial was commencing. Sister Evandra entered and dismissed them with a huff; no one was on trial and there was no inquisition. This was office work. Immediately, one of the inn's owners greeted her with a hug, indicating a prior familiarity. As the Judge spotted the party, she immediately pulled up a chair to cross some T's and dot the appropriate I's. The posse expected horses provided by Dalton's contact in the Force of The Chariot, and they managed to dispatch a rifleman scout to survey the territory a day in advance so that his intel would be as relevant and as fresh as possible. The Judge seemed impressed the posse had their stuff together. While the Judge was still concerned over provisions and water, Ziegfried assured her that they had their affairs in order and were set to ride as soon as tonight. The Judge signed her writ and the party's names on parchment, notarizing them as official deputies of Justice for this joint endeavor with Judgment. She also gives the posse some intel on other factions operating in dangerous and expansive Great Desert. First, the Order of The Sun was conducting a crusade with a shared goal, but with far inferior information at their disposal. Also, clerics from the Church of The Star were in the area healing lepers; disease is still a threat to those still not touched by the light of The Arcana as deeply. Sister Evandra also provided some "Good News, Bad News" for the group. The Bad News was that, because the Order of Judgment is overseeing this mission, they could not pay the posse for such an undertaking. However, the Judge managed to bring up an argument to the Queen of Midaneus to offer an exclusive bounty to the posse for these creatures and their associates in this cult: *10GP for each set of gnoll ears *5GP for each set of hyena ears *25GP for each set of humanoid ears of cult members & practitioners Seemingly satisfied with her report, the Judge then asks for a private conversation with Ziegfried. At a corner booth, Sister Evandra reached into her valise and placed two folders with identical copies of Zieg's arrest. One copy had three familiar names circled--his former crew. The other copy had just one name underscored: the corrupt elven judge who presided over Zieg's arrest. Sister Evandra asked two questions, after assuring she's not interested in prosecuting Zieg any further. She wanted the corrupt judge, needing the gang's confessions for incriminating evidence and testimony to ensure the corrupt judge would swing. Zieg declared his vendetta would not compromise the posse's mission against the temple. And as for the corrupt judge... If hauling in his old gang would help nail that judge on corruption charges, then special accommodations may be arranged for him. Should the posse come back victorious and alive, then Sister Evandra would see about loosening Zieg's proverbial chains, giving the posse more breathing room to work together. The party mounted their warhorses and rode off. The shantytown outside the walls of Midaneus was crawling with the Scales of Justice, vetting people who sought asylum from raiders and other assorted threats. They paid no mind to four warhorses riding out in the night. From the north, a thundercloud rolled over The Great Desert. A uniquely reptilian form was spied flying within this unnatural storm front, with gray scales and blue electricity coursing around it. An adult blue dragon! The party immediately grabbed their horses and took refuge within a stone outcropping. Wreck't took it upon himself to keep the horses calm and the party safe under the looming threat. Wreck't was tempted with the prospect of a glorious challenge, to which Dalton immediately responded, "Not our fight, Kid. NOT. YET." The blue dragon continued to fly over the posse, flying over to the east-southeast to challenge a dust storm at the horizon -- a brown dragon! The party agreed discretion was the better part of valor and let the two phenomena of nature duke it out and ignore them. Next morning, they continued their ride as Dalton searched for either a lonely campfire smoke trail from the Chariot scout... or a cluster of buzzards circling over his corpse. True enough, they met up with a handful of beleaguered paladins of The Sun riding back to the city with their proverbial tails between their legs. One of them indicated there was a pit filled with bodies with heads, feet, and hands severed. A mass grave, or a mass sacrifice? The party had yet more questions and a chance to start collecting ears. The more they could take out now, the less they'd have to contend with at that befouled temple. Once they saw the circling buzzards, the party was attacked by two gnolls riding two giant hyenas as mounts. As the posse prevailed, the large pit of corpses neared for further examination. The newly-dubbed Rough Riders hoped that scout was not among the defiled dead. Session 2 Our heroes started their investigation of the pit of bodies. Buzzards circled overhead without landing to pick at the corpses. The bodies had no heads, no hands, no feet, and had been dusted with lime. This hid the stench normally appropriate for such a visceral tableau. Wreck't immediately set out and rode around to establish a perimeter. If anyone else came to investigate, Wreck't would be the first one to confront them and find out what's what. Dalton peered across the 60-foot pit, surveying the scene for the Chariot rifleman scout that was dispatched a day ago. Jing Dao pondered the implication of such a gory scene, when he and Wreck't both noticed a ripple in the very air alongside Zieg. They were too late to warn the priest, as a spectral spear appeared and attacked him. Two Orc clerics got the drop on the Rough Riders and sought a fight with the horse-riding cavalier and his friends. After the posse finally vanquished these orc clerics, Zieg and Jing Dao immediately checked if they were allied with the gnolls in some way, noting the scarred eyes and missing ears. Wreck't knew these backwater orcs were, in fact, Eyes of Gruumsh, some forbidden deity also crying for blood and slaughter. Jing Dao's gut sank in his stomach at the notion of some hidden hand moving slaughter cults to action and collusion. Who --or worse, what-- could be this hidden hand moving such pieces on the cosmic chessboard? After regaining their wits, the posse discerned the smoke trail of a lone campfire beyond a nearby sand dune. Dalton was sure that this was the scout. Upon cresting the dune, the lonely campsite in the distance had a rider with no horse huddled over the fire. A purple wyrm had devoured the horse, leaving him stranded in the sands. Zieg was convinced he has eaten his horse. But Jing Dao noted the scout was cooking a meager concoction of rations and water, the old "Struggle Soup." The meeting was tense and awkward. The rifleman had a thousand-yard stare and surly disposition, giving terse, if not laconic, replies to the posse's questions. With his information, the party traced his route: along the northern coast of the Great Desert, past the thieves' den, there is an old railway station, a relic holdover from a previous age of civilization. After that, there's a watering hole of sorts and, finally, a mountain path leading up to some cave network. The scout seemed certain that the temple was carved into the caves. Taking stock of their situation, the posse made camp to ensure the scout's safety while replenishing their reserves. Zieg had seen to the scout's lingering injuries: a sprained ankle and a popped shoulder. Dalton and Wreck't chip in to send the scout back to the city to seek the services of The High Priestess or more pragmatically, The Lovers. Wreck't found the abandoned mule that Dalton found during his watch, and sends the scout on his way with the animal. Jing Dao volunteered his extra waterskin to keep the rifleman alive on the way back, as they part ways. Session 3 The posse decided to investigate the abandoned railway station in The Great Desert. The gnoll slaughter cult might have used it to hold materials/resources or as a forward base. The intense desert heat exhausted the priest and the cavalier. Exhaustion is a potentially fatal spiral in which to get caught, out in the desert. The abandoned railway immediately smelled "clean" as they entered... perhaps a little too clean. The posse immediately put up their guard as they heard a fight coming from below. A traveling party from the Church of The Star was nearly wiped out by some crystal-clear entity that barely moved. Only Zieg was able to see the low light shimmering within the form of a gelatinous cube! The threat took some time to dispatch. A young paladin of The Star was resuscitated as the posse immediately made it clear that The Star may be outclassed here, and should go back to Midaneus immediately. Some paperwork was flashed, prompting the paladin to share some operations information that was tangential to the posse's mission: *The Star left the city from the south to visit the Badlands and circle their way to heal lepers. *A cult of orcs that were operating in a similar fashion to the gnoll slaughter cult was nearby. *A few tribes of barbarians were nearly wiped out, leaving them scrambling for a response to these atrocities. Jing Dao took note of this. Some unseen hand was moving the gnolls AND these backwater orcs like pawns. But the intrigue would have to brew a bit longer. The paladin of The Star, Attrayis, called upon a divine favor to revive his three cleric friends, and then offered to heal the posse's wounds free of charge. Ziegfried reacted to this outrage, "Free of charge!?” He immediately ran the upstart paladin and the clerics out of the abandoned railway to fend for themselves in the Great Desert. As the party set up camp for the evening, Ziegfried, who took a pledge to heal others as part of his sentence, could still be heard grumbling aloud, "free of charge... fuck outta here!" If someone saves your life, healing them is the least you could do. < Previous Adventure Next Adventure >